The Daily 12-PAC: Examining UW's New D Philosophy, Debating Oregon's Most Important Player & More

In today's edition of The Daily 12-PAC we bring you some updates from the NFL combine focusing on the Dawgs and Ducks, and a lengthy interview with Washington State AD Bill Moos talking all things Cougars.

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UW's Ta'amu has impressive showing at the NFL Combine

The guys over at National Football Post broke down yesterday's combine performances and had some really positive things to say about Washington's Alameda Ta'amu:

As much as Dontari Poe stole the show Monday, don't sleep on Washington DT Alameda Ta'amu. Ta'amu at 348-pounds also posted an impressive time in the 5.3 range and showcased some natural get off burst for his size. He has a tendency to play a bit upright at times and doesn't have the upside of Poe. However, I think he's a much safer prospect if you're looking for a guy to anchor in inside of a 34 front.

If you're a DTP regular, then by now you know I am really high on Ta'amu. I think Alameda has a bright NFL future, he's a rare combination of size, strength, and explosiveness. As good as his 40-yard dash time was, his initial 10-yard split of 1.7 was even more impressive to me - for linemen, that 10-yard time is really what matters most. Another strong showing at his Pro Day, and I think Ta'amu could sneak his way into the first round.

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WSU's Moos sits down with local TV

Washington State AD Bill Moos has been on the job for two years now, and he has made great strides since he arrived in Pullman. In this video Moos discusses the hiring of Mike Leach and a new football staff, the seating renovation of Martin Stadium, and a bunch of other Cougar-related things.

@ issue. WSU Athletics: A conversation with Bill Moos (Part I) (via NorthwestPublicTV)

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LaMichael James has strong showing at the NFL Combine

SI.com's Tony Pauline brings us an update on the University of Oregon players who participated at the NFL Combine, specifically RB LaMichael James.

Pauline says James' combine showing may have done enough to vault him into the first round of April's draft, but I don't know if I can drink that kool-aid just yet. James was impressive, there is no doubt about that, but so was Boise State running back Doug Martin - a player who virtually everyone has listed higher than James on value boards and mock drafts. As with Washington's Ta'amu, a strong Pro Day could vault James into the first round, but I don't know if I am on board with Pauline in predicting he'll be the second RB off the taken.

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BEAVERS!!

It's a slow morning on the Oregon State front, so in honor of our good friends at SBN's Building the Dam, we bring you Beavers...building dams:

Fooled by Nature - Beaver Dams (via AnimalPlanetTV)

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Make sure to follow Scott (@scottenyeart) and SB Nation Seattle (@sbnseattle) on Twitter.

To join in on the discussion and find more great college football commentary and analysis, follow the Huskies at UW Dawg Pound, the Cougars at Coug Center, the Ducks at Addicted to Quack, and the Beavers at Building the Dam.

In today's edition of The Daily 12-PAC we check in on Husky Stadium to see how the renovation is coming, tell you why it's okay that you watched the Oscars, see how much Mike Leach has already changed things at Wazzu, attempt to assess Oregon's NCAA issues and see how OSU's James Rodgers performed at the combine.

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Husky Stadium Construction Update

The fellas over at UW Dawg Pound ran a cool little photo update showing some of the recent progress to the renovation of Husky Stadium. Man, is this thing happening quick, or what?

At PAC-12 media day last summer, I asked Sark about the facilities upgrade and what it could mean for the program and recruiting, and he spoke glowingly of the new stadium and football offices and what they'd bring to the table in terms of recruiting. The Huskies will be hosting recruits at a Junior Day this April, and no doubt will the New Husky Stadium be a major selling point.

Former Husky Ed Cunningham wins an Oscar

If you watched the Oscars last night, and are afraid to admit it to your buddies at work today, have no fear, The DTP found a sports angle for you.

Former University of Washington offensive lineman, and team captain of the 1991 National Championship team, Ed Cunningham took home the Best Documentary Oscar last night for his work as producer of the film "Undefeated". Cunningham now works for ESPN, and the post from Bob Condotta is full of links and facts about the former Dawg. Now when anyone asked if you watched the Oscars, you can answer proudly and drop some PAC-12 knowledge on them!

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Just how bad is the situation at Oregon?

Late Friday, the University of Oregon released documents relating to the ongoing NCAA inquiry into alleged violations by the Ducks football program.

Over the weekend, lots was written about the cloud over Chip Kelly's program, but no column was better than this one by George Schroeder. We know this much, Oregon seems to be admitting major infractions. But what we don't know is what four of the seven infractions are. We also don't know what Oregon's motive is here. The skeptic (or the Husky fan) would say this is Oregon's attempt at a "plea bargain" - seemingly agreeing to a Failure to Monitor charge and hoping that will close the case, in an attempt to avoid being hit with Lack of Institutional Control. Though I tend to lean towards that line of thinking, as Schroeder points out, it really is too early to make that assumption, or any assumptions for that matter.

One thing to keep close eye on is the fact that Oregon may get hit with the NCAA's "Repeat Violator" status. The possibility of getting labeled as a repeat violator, though serious, has proven to have little impact on punishments handed down by the NCAA's Committee on Infractions.

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New WSU regime, new culture in Pullman

Well, that didn't take long. Mike Leach has only been at Washington State for a few months, and he's already made huge strides in changing the football culture in Pullman.

Drawing parallels to his Texas Tech days, Bud Withers, details just how different things are at Wazzu in the short time since Leach got there, and what else the Cougars can expect.

It's cliche to say that a coach "demands the most from his players", but I have never seen anyone who does it quite like Leach. Exhibit A: Fat Little Girlfriends

Mike Leach on Fat Little Girlfriends (via rbertke)

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OSU's James Rodgers at NFL combine

Oregon State wideout James Rodgers had less-than-stellar performance at the NFL Combine over the weekend. Rodgers has still not fully regained his form after the leg injury he suffered in 2011, and it showed. The Texas native is projected to be a late round pick, if it all.

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Make sure to follow Scott (@scottenyeart) and SB Nation Seattle (@sbnseattle) on Twitter.

To join in on the discussion and find more great college football commentary and analysis, make sure you head to SB Nation's Pac-12 football blog, Pacific Takes. Follow the Huskies at UW Dawg Pound

In today's edition of The Daily 12-PAC we bring you stories on Washington's desire to become a national recruiting power, MIke Leach's philosophy at WSU, Oregon's LaMichael James and what challenges he faces at the NFL combine and a plea for Oregon State football players to stop having run-ins with the law.

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Bob Condotta takes a look at Washington recruiting with Scout.com's Jake Worthen

Does college football recruiting ever end? No.

Even before the class of 2012 was signed, University of Washington coaches were busy the night before signing day offering a handful of prospects from the class of 2013.

With the hires, and salaries, of Tosh Lupoi, Justin Wilcox, Peter Sirmon and Eric Kiesau the Huskies ability and efficiency on the recruiting trail will be put under a microscope. Condotta and Worthen touch on everything from in-state prospects, to what it means to become a school that "recruits nationally."

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Mike Leach talks quarterbacks, philosophy

New Washington State head coach Mike Leach built his reputation largely on prolific offenses, and quarterbacks who shattered record books. So, any time Leach opens up about his philosophies, it's worth paying attention to.

The thing I found most interesting in this article wasn't any nugget about Leach's coaching methods, but that he said he would be able to settle the brewing quarterback competition Jeff Tuel and Connor Halliday "after about three days.' Sounds like a guy who knows exactly what he wants in a QB.

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Challenges loom for ex-Duck LaMichael James

Oregon's LaMichael James has the opportunity to address a lot of concerns this weekend at the NFL Scouting Combine, Rob Moseley writes.

Right now, the one-time Heisman Trophy finalist projects to go somewhere in the third round, and is considered by the people who rank this stuff anywhere from the fourth to sixth best running back available. Part of the reason for James' seemingly low projection is injury concerns, durability and strength. The combine provides a great platform for the former Duck to directly address some of those concerns. Have a read to hear James share his thoughts on what he expects to prove in Indy.

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OSU Players need to get their act together

In the past week, we have seen two Oregon State football players have run-ins with the law, and columnist Steve Gress says it needs to end. As he states, recent history shows OSU's legal troubles happen like birthing contractions, or in his words "grouped together" - things stay quiet, and then all the sudden there is a run on athlete arrests. The University of Oregon had this same problem last offseason, which begs the question, what's in the water in The Beaver State?

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Make sure to follow Scott (@scottenyeart) and SB Nation Seattle (@sbnseattle) on Twitter.

To join in on the discussion and find more great college football commentary and analysis, make sure you head to SB Nation's Pac-12 football blog, Pacific Takes.

In today's edition of The Daily 12-PAC we've got a couple cans full of Huskies talk, including a look at Alameda Ta'amu and new Washington coach Tosh Lupoi. Washington State has new coaches too, and we found you a nice profile of its new inside wide receivers coach. We go south of the Columbia river to check out some Beavers getting buff, and an ex-Duck in the hunt at the NFL combine.

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Alameda Ta'amu gets chance to prove he is still a first-rounder

Yesterday, I told you how high I was on Alameda Ta'amu; today we bring you a column from Danny O'Neil taking an even deeper look at Ta'amu, and his hopes of climbing into the first-round of the NFL draft. It's not a totally far-fetched idea.

Ta'amu, at one point, was projected as a first-round guy, but a lack of production has dropped his stock to more of a third or fourth-rounder. The hype is building back up again, however, and a strong showing in Indy could go a long way for the 340-pounder. Regardless of what round he is drafted, I still maintain that Ta'amu will be an impact player in the NFL, assuming he stays healthy.

UW OT Senio Kelemete interview with Gas and Elise

Sticking with the NFL Combine talk, here is audio of an interview KJR's Gas and Elise did with Washington's Senio Kelemete as he talks about his NFL future. Kelemete projects to go somewhere in the first two rounds of the draft.

Some quotes on UW's new DL coach Tosh Lupoi

Redmond High School product, and Cal DE Trevor Guyton talked to 710 ESPN Seattle's Kevin Calabro show yesterday and had some positive things to say about his former position coach, Tosh Lupoi, who is now at Washington. Of Lupoi, Guyton said...

"He's one of the best people I've known...He's helped me develop into who I am today, on and off the field."

and...

"I know people say he's a great recruiter, but he's a better coach than a recruiter...he's always real."

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A look at new WSU inside receivers coach Eric Morris

Mike Leach and his staff at Washington State are trying to change a football culture in Pullman, and new inside receivers coach Eric Morris will go a long way towards getting that done.

Morris, who played for Leach, is a young, energetic up-and-comer in the coaching ranks. Morris spent two seasons as a GA at Houston, but other than that, is pretty raw. He knows the offense and has worked with co-offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury , so don't let the short resumé fool you. This piece by Christian Caple is a great look at the type of attitude and style Morris will bring to the table.

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ESPN Pac-12 Blog's spring preview: North Division

Lots of nuggets in here about all four Pacific Northwest schools. There are some really intriguing storylines throughout the conference and many of them will be taking place in our region.

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Oregon's Cliff Harris "set to light up combine"?

CBS's Rob Rang takes a look at five underclassmen that could make a huge splash at this week's NFL combine. One player in particular is ex-Oregon CB Cliff Harris. Harris, who was dismissed from the team, was a star before continually finding his way into off the field troubles.

Rang points out that Harris' playing ability is so good, that teams won't be able to just dismiss the idea of drafting Harris because of his baggage. I tend to agree. Harris was good, darn good. Someone is going to take a chance and if they can help him mature, they're gonna have a solid player on their hands. But, of course, that's easier said than done.

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Oregon State Beavers getting buff

Cliff Kirkpatrick brings us an offseason update on some OSU players and the strides being made in the weight room.

The thing that jumps out to me here, is the number of CB's and DE's mentioned. The vibe going into 2012 is that the PAC-12 will be heavy on offensive production and light on the defensive side. The Beavers don't exactly share the hype on offense that some of the other teams in the league do, so development on the defensive side of the ball is critical for OSU's success. It's still early, but it looks like things are on the right track.

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Make sure to follow Scott (@scottenyeart) and SB Nation Seattle (@sbnseattle) on Twitter.

To join in on the discussion and find more great college football commentary and analysis, make sure you head to SB Nation's Pac-12 football blog, Pacific Takes.

In today's edition of The Daily 12-PAC we take a look at the buzz surrounding some Washington and Oregon players headed to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, and talk some Washington State and Oregon State recruiting.

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Huskies Headed To NFL Combine

The NFL Combine is one of my favorite events of the year because the timing couldn't be better. Every year, right about now, I begin to experience post-Super Bowl football withdrawals. The combine makes for great medicine.

The University of Washington will be sending four players to this year's combine, as profiled in this piece via gohuskies.com. Of the four Dawgs making the trip to Indy, I think it's worth keeping a close eye on Alameda Ta'amu. Ta'amu generally performed below expectations in 2011, but I really like his potential at the next level, assuming he can play healthy. Chris Polk and Senio Kelemete will be the names that get talked about most, but I think Ta'amu is the one who could make the biggest splash in the NFL. Pun intended.

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WSU Recruiting: A Look Ahead To 2013

Since the hiring of Mike Leach there has been a lot more excitement and attention surrounding the Cougars' football program. The CougCenter gang takes an early look at the class of 2013, in what is somewhat of an attempt to temper expectations.

It's worth noting, however, the fact that the Cougs are even in the conversation with some of these kids speaks volumes of what Mike Leach has brought to the table. In-state guys mentioned, like Sean Constantine and Sammie Long will be ones to watch. In fact, I think recruiting in the state of Washington will be huge for both D1 programs in the state. Not only are they competing against each other for the state's top talent, but Jim L. Mora and his posse down in Westwood seem to have a thing for trying to raid The Evergreen State.

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Does a "down year" for RB's help Oregon's LaMichael James?

The SportingNews takes a look at this year's crop of NFL-bound running backs, and naturally, a name that comes up is that of Oregon's LaMichael James.

James is an interesting prospect, and despite his monster stats in college, is a player that some "experts" have reservations about. I have pondered that if James was a player in a different offense, or even a different conference, would there even be a debate about how he projects at the next level? But that's sort of the blessing and the curse of Oregon's offense. This topic will surely be addressed again as we near the draft.

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Oregon State's Recruiting Realignment

After an offseason of some coaching turnover, Mike Riley has done some shuffling of recruiting responsibilities on the Beavers' coaching staff.

The focus is largely on Southern California, and the state of Texas. It's an ambitious plan, but one that certainly could be a formula for huge success.

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Make sure to follow Scott (@scottenyeart) and SB Nation Seattle (@sbnseattle) on Twitter.

To join in on the discussion and find more great college football commentary and analysis, follow the Huskies at UW Dawg Pound and the Cougars at Coug Center

In today's 12-PAC we take a look at some bold predictions being made for Washington football, Oregon's BCS title chances, WSU football awards, Oregon State DB Sean Martin's suspension and future Trojan Zach Banner being named a finalist for a prestigious award.

Future USC Trojan, Washington Native, Zach Banner A Finalist For Watkins Award

Washington native Zach Banner was named a finalist for the Watkins Award, an award which honors the top African American student-athletes in the country. Though Banner didn't win the award, this explains what a prestigious honor it was for him to be named a finalist.

OSU's Sean Martin is "suspended indefinitely''

As we shared with you yesterday, Oregon State CB Sean Martin was arrested for a DUII over the weekend. Yesterday afternoon, OSU head coach Mike Riley issued a statement that Martin "has been suspended indefinitely". I have had the privilege of knowing Riley since the mid 90's when he was at USC, and have a tremendous amount of respect for him and how he runs his program.

I am not sure how many games, if any, Martin will miss, but I am sure that whatever further punishment Riley hands down won't just be for "show". There aren't enough guys like Mike Riley coaching in college football, but if there was, we'd all be better for it.

Oregon's BCS Title Odds

The Register-Guard came across two sets of BCS title odds, and the Ducks could be an attractive bet to gamblers. 10:1 by one site, and 12:1 by another mean expectations will be high for Chip Kelly's squad. Also, Oregon RB De'Anthony Thomas is listed at 25:1 to win the Heisman Trophy.

Washington State Football "Bloscars"

The folks over at WSUFootballbog.com presented their awards from the 2011 season. It's a fun satirical twist on traditional awards. It was nice to see WR Marquess Wilson garner some accolades this postseason, including a "Bloscar".

Wilson is easily one of the most underrated players in the PAC-12, and one of the best kept secrets in the country. How more people aren't aware of him is beyond me, but behind Robert Woods and Marquise Lee at USC, there might not be a better wideout in the conference.

Washington: 10 Bold Predictions for 2012 courtesy of Bleacher Report

Yes, I know it's Bleacher Report. And yes, some of these predictions are incredibly far-fetched. However, others are extremely realistic. Can the Huskies win nine games? Definitely. Can UW go undefeated at home? It's plausible. But two predictions the author makes are worth some serious discussion. Can Keith Price throw for 4,000 yards and rush for 500 or more?

If he does, it could be a special season on Montlake. The other prediction is that Washington will keep it close against LSU before losing by single digits. When Sark first got hired, I was vocal about 2013 being the year UW takes the conference by storm. But if this prediction of a narrow loss to LSU comes to fruition, it could be a positive barometer of what to expect in 2012.

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Make sure to follow Scott (@scottenyeart) and SB Nation Seattle (@sbnseattle) on Twitter.

To join in on the discussion and find more great college football commentary and analysis, make sure you head to SB Nation's Pac-12 football blog, Pacific Takes.